


turns out friendships aren't easier when they're online

by CeruleanWind



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: EstFin, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Online Friendship, lietpol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26361166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeruleanWind/pseuds/CeruleanWind
Summary: Estonia and Finland are friends in real life, and unbeknownst to them, online as well. When Estonia expresses affection for his online friend, Finland begins to feel a bit jealous.
Relationships: Estonia/Finland (Hetalia), Lithuania/Poland (Hetalia)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! So this is officially the longest project I have written this year. I'm proud of myself! I've fallen deep into EstFin hell, so of course, I had to write something for them. This is also a collab with my friend, where I write the fic and she draws a comic for it. Without further ado, please enjoy!

Estonia finally arrives home after a very long day at work. He’s been buzzing to get home ever since he left, and for a very particular reason indeed.

The truth is, Estonia has been talking to someone online recently. They just happened to meet through an online game. Estonia very much enjoys talking to his newfound friend, and even if they haven’t established names or faces yet, Estonia can safely declare this a friendship in the making.

He eagerly logs onto his computer and onto Discord, happy to see that there’s a new message from his friend already.

dolPHIN69: eyo how was ur day today?

Estonia smiles, happy that _someone_ thought of him for once. He types out a simple reply.

CoolEST_guy: Good, but tiring  
CoolEST_guy: Probably gonna unwind by blogging  
CoolEST_guy: How about you?

Estonia’s friend almost instantaneously replies.

dolPHIN69: blogging eh? that’s pretty cool, one of my friends does that too  
dolPHIN69: my day was,,, interesting, def gonna play some pubg later if ya wanna join

CoolEST_guy: Maybe but I gotta finish some work first

dolPHIN69: aight dw, take ur time :)

Estonia sighs happily before finally taking the time to unpack his work stuff. He gets himself a glass of wine and leftovers from the fridge before sitting back at his computer to do some blogging.

“Hmm, what should I post about today?” Estonia asks himself. Today had been so bland; Estonia just doesn’t have anything to say about his day. He tentatively decides to write a very vague post about his new online friend. The post reads:

_It turns out that online gaming can be a great experience for meeting new people! Not only is it a way to unwind, but I have recently taken pleasure in chatting with players on various multiplayer games. 10/10!_

Estonia tinkers a bit more with the mechanics of his blog before logging off and watching some Netflix while he eats. It’s a rather lonely life, Estonia has to admit, but he’s content with it nevertheless.

Afterwards, he enjoys a night of chatting and gaming with his online friend.

-

The next morning, Estonia has to get up early for an important world meeting. World meetings are typically held monthly, but given the current crisis, the nations are required to meet more frequently. Before getting out of bed, however, Estonia checks his phone for any messages. To his surprise, there’s one from his online friend.

dolPHIN69: gah i gotta get up early this morning  
dolPHIN69: but have a great day :D

Estonia smiles, feeling some type of way about the fact that someone would care that much. Truly, the kindness of others is unfathomable sometimes.

CoolEST_guy: Aw thanks, you have a great day too :))

He drags himself out of bed and rather robotically goes through his morning routine. The sun is barely peeking over the horizon, which makes it feel so _early_. Estonia showers and gets dressed before going into the kitchen for a nice big cup of coffee.

Today’s meeting is being held at Denmark’s place, so Estonia doesn’t have to travel too far. After finishing his coffee, Estonia gathers some of his favourite sweets to gift to his good friend Finland while at the meeting. Estonia hasn’t seen Finland in quite a while, so he’s very excited.

While on his way to the meeting, Estonia doesn’t think all that much. World meetings aren’t so much of a big deal to him, because he doesn’t get much say in world crises after all. However, especially in the current situation, every nation’s input is extremely important to the wellbeing of society in general.

Once Estonia arrives at the meeting, he stands to the side of the board room and talks to his Baltic friends, Latvia and Lithuania. They’re all discussing their plans for tackling this large issue in front of them.

“Estonia!”  
Estonia turns quickly to see who said his name. It was Finland, who now launches himself at Estonia for a hug. Estonia, though surprised, hugs back, happy to see his Nordic friend after what seemed like an eternity.

“I brought a little something for you, Fin,” Estonia says after they break the hug, opening his bag to find the sweets he packed for Finland. “I know you like sweets, so here you go.”

Finland gasps, “Are you serious? Oh, Estonia, thank you!” He grins like an excited little child, the dimples in his cheeks becoming prominent. Estonia grins right back, his heart fluttering a little. He’s had a schoolgirl crush on Finland for a while now, but he doesn’t want to ruin his friendship with Finland in any way.

“So,” Estonia says after clearing his throat, “d’you wanna sit down?” Many of their nation friends were beginning to sit at the large table to begin the meeting shortly.

“Sure,” Finland replies, taking Estonia’s elbow and leading him to some nearby chairs, which were next to Norway and Lithuania respectively. “So, we haven’t talked in ages! What have you been up to lately?”

Estonia hums in thought. “Well, not much,” he says, chuckling. “Blogging, I guess. Oh, and gaming? Oh, and—“ he pauses again to lower his voice— “I met someone online recently.”

“Really?!” Finland exclaims. “I have too! I absolutely adore talking to him—he’s so funny and interesting. I met him while gaming.”

“Wow, so did I!” Estonia gasps. “Anyway, this guy I met—he’s so sweet and considerate. I’m terrible at gaming, I know, but this guy was so nice about it and gave me some pointers. I don’t know, I just really like talking to him—and I know I haven’t met him and I don’t even know his name, but it’s nice to know someone cares, and if this keeps up, I bet you I’m gonna catch feelings.” Estonia reddens after saying that—he just expressed his deepest thoughts to the person he _actually_ likes—therefore reducing the chances of actually getting his feelings returned.

Finland’s stomach lurches. Estonia really likes this online friend of his, huh? Finland, too, has had a crush on his Baltic friend for a while, and hearing Estonia say this has put a damper in his good mood. “Well, that’s great for you,” Finland says with a very fake smile. “I’m happy to hear that. Maybe you’ll finally find someone!”

Estonia can only chuckle nervously. What did he get himself into?

The meeting starts without much further ado. Denmark immediately begins the meeting with his authority-laden voice ringing throughout the room. Small to medium-size crises regarding the current situation are discussed by the nations, with each one putting in their respective opinion. However, even as the meeting progresses, Finland can’t seem to shake this sudden bad mood of his. He’s happy for Estonia, really, he _knows_ he is, but he can’t seem to rid himself of this bitterness.

After the meeting ends, Finland heads home without staying to chat. It’s the early afternoon at this point, but Finland is not in the mood to do any more work. Instead, he sits at his computer to do some gaming. He decides to play some Minecraft to unwind instead of playing a higher-intensity game. Suddenly, Finland receives a message from his online friend.

CoolEST_guy: I’m free to game for a bit if you want  
CoolEST_guy: Kinda in the mood for something peaceful tho

Finland grins—talking to his online friend is the perfect way to get his mind off whatever happened at that meeting. He types out a reply.

dolPHIN69: lmao i was just about to play some minecraft  
dolPHIN69: i am also in the mood for something peaceful so  
dolPHIN69: u can join me whenever

Finland logs onto his creative server and looks proudly at all the useless creations that are there. He decides to add one more, and after pondering over the materials for a bit, he plans out a really cool build—a mansion for his online friend.

CoolEST_guy: You said you had to get up early this morning?

dolPHIN69: mhm i had a meeting, it was,,,, eh

CoolEST_guy: Oh?

dolPHIN69: well the meeting was fine  
dolPHIN69: just ran into a lil scuffle with one of my good friends  
dolPHIN69: it’s fine tho, dw

CoolEST_guy: Aw I’m sorry to hear that  
CoolEST_guy: I hope everything works out for the best :)

dolPHIN69: yeah me too  
dolPHIN69: i’m working on a lil something for ya :’)

CoolEST_guy: Ooh yay! Okay I’ll join right away

Finland sighs. Friendships can be tough, but they’re a little simpler online, it seems. He replies with a simple smiley face before returning to his majestic build. 

-

Over the course of the next few weeks, Estonia’s schedule has been limited to two main things: world meetings and chatting with his online friend. Nothing too eventful, especially because Estonia is stuck in his house for the majority of his day. Even so, he’s taken great pleasure in chatting with his online friend. Estonia thinks they’re getting closer, and his friend seems to agree, because he’s expressed that in one way or another.

dolPHIN69: idk bout u but i think u’re really freaking awesome? i’m not really,,, comfortable w revealing my name or face but i would 100% like to get to know u even better  
dolPHIN69: esp in quarantine lmao

CoolEST_guy: Yeah I agree! You just seem like the best person  
CoolEST_guy: Idk this is probably weird of me to say but I am definitely not the most popular person and talking to you has just made me feel like someone cares? Idk lol

dolPHIN69: oh yeah i totally get that! i have a few close friends but some of us have very conflicting personalities  
dolPHIN69: i think u and i get along rlly well so i am happy abt that

CoolEST_guy: Me too!  
CoolEST_guy: Wanna game tonight or?

dolPHIN69: mm sure i’m feeling pubg

CoolEST_guy: Kk  
CoolEST_guy: Hopefully I’ve improved somewhat

dolPHIN69: i’m sure u have lmao  
dolPHIN69: join the party whenever

Estonia grins and settles in for the nineteenth consecutive night of gaming in a row. Of course, he doesn’t mind it at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Estonia wakes up early yet again for another world meeting. Frankly, he’s getting tired of them at this point. Before dragging himself out of bed, he shoots a quick good morning text to his online friend.

CoolEST_guy: Heya, hope you have a great day :)

To Estonia’s surprise, his online friend replied right away.

dolPHIN69: eyy, up early i see! well u have a great day too :D

Estonia goes through his mundane morning routine. On a whim, he decides to pack more sweets to give to Finland—he loves spoiling Finland, no matter the occasion.

Once Estonia arrives at the meeting, he’s surprised to see that Finland is already there. Instead of Finland going in for a running hug, though, he gives Estonia a polite hug. Perhaps he still remembers what Estonia said and decided to back off a little. Either way, Estonia is somewhat confused.

“I brought more sweets for you, if you like,” Estonia says after greeting Finland. “I wasn’t really able to talk to you at the last world meeting, so I’ll make up for it now!”

Finland grins his usual grin and takes the bag. “Oh, Estonia, you do this every time and I never know what to say,” he says, briefly shifting his gaze to the ground.

“Oh, please,” Estonia says, his heart fluttering once more as he sees how happy Finland is. “I like spoiling you, Fin.”

They stare at each other for a few long moments before Finland clears his throat and looks away, a dusting of pink covering his cheeks. “Well, thank you very much,” he finally manages to say. “Do you want to get coffee after the meeting, maybe?”

This time it’s Estonia’s turn to blush. “That sounds lovely,” he replies.

They sit down across from each other right as the meeting begins. It’s another monotonous discussion about how the economy is failing, and blah blah blah. Finland, extremely bored, decides to sneak out his phone to chat with his online friend a little.

dolPHIN69: ugh i’m in such a boring meeting rn  
dolPHIN69: entertain me

Finland’s online friend replies right away.

CoolEST_guy: SAME I hate it here

dolPHIN69: haha what a coincidence  
dolPHIN69: anyway wanna play like 20 questions or something?

CoolEST_guy: Lmao sure  
CoolEST_guy: Favourite colour?

dolPHIN69: mm purple  
dolPHIN69: favourite holiday?

CoolEST_guy: Christmas, my good friend adores Christmas and it reminds me of him ;-;

dolPHIN69: omg that’s so cute  
dolPHIN69: i love christmas too!!  
dolPHIN69: u should tell me more abt this friend of urs 👀

CoolEST_guy: Ahaha well  
CoolEST_guy: You kinda remind me of him actually  
CoolEST_guy: But we’ve been friends for, who knows how long lol

dolPHIN69: aw that’s adorable  
dolPHIN69: do you likeee himmm? ;)

CoolEST_guy: Ahahah  
CoolEST_guy: Um  
CoolEST_guy: Perhaps a little  
CoolEST_guy: But rn I’m kinda feeling conflicted

dolPHIN69: oh? how so?

“Hey, you two! Pay attention!” The booming sound of Germany’s voice rings throughout the room, causing everyone to turn and look at Finland and Estonia. They look up and immediately lock eyes with each other. Estonia mumbles a “sorry” and puts away his phone, but Finland stares, wide-eyed, at Estonia. The cogs finally begin to turn in Finland’s head.

Estonia is Finland’s online friend. Finland is almost sure of it now. He had some suspicions before, but that conversation was the last straw. That could mean… no. Estonia doesn’t _like_ Finland, does he?

Finland bites his lip, inconspicuously looking back at his phone and scrolling through some of the past messages. Everything Finland’s online friend was saying linked up. “Oh, God,” Finland whispers to himself, inaudible to everyone else. He puts his phone away and sits, face buried in his hands, for the rest of the meeting. What on Earth would he do?

Once the meeting ends, Finland decides to confront Estonia. He corners Estonia in a quiet corridor on the way out, when all the other nations had already left.

“Oh! Hey, Fin. We’re still getting coffee, right?” Estonia asks, a genuine smile crossing his face.

Finland lets out a light sigh. He looks back at Estonia and says, “Sure. Only if you let me see who your online friend is.” He does his best to make his expression and tone sound teasing, so it isn’t too suspicious.

“Oh. Um, okay, I guess.” Estonia takes out his phone and shuffles to stand beside Finland, showing him some of the messages. “I dunno, he’s just a really sweet guy. I hope we can—oh my god, Fin! Are you okay?”

Finland could only stand there, reading and re-reading his own username on Estonia’s screen. His eyes fill with tears of mixed emotions, and he turns away from Estonia.

“I just remembered I have something to do today,” Finland says, squeezing his eyes shut as he forces out the lie. “See you at the next meeting, okay?”

Estonia puts his phone away, his eyebrows creasing in confusion as he watches Finland leave. Something must really be up. He stands there for a few more confused seconds before making his way out as well, eager to catch up with his online friend after a particularly boring meeting.

Once Estonia gets home, he immediately logs onto his computer and shoots a quick message to his online friend.

CoolEST_guy: Gah that meeting was so long, sorry I didn’t reply  
CoolEST_guy: You up for Minecraft today perhaps?

A few hours pass and Estonia still doesn’t get an answer. He makes and eats dinner, catches up on his favourite show, and does some blogging before thinking that something is a little wrong. He looks at the message history again.

“See, it says he read my message,” Estonia mumbles to himself, frowning. “Huh. I guess he’s busy today.”

That’s what Estonia tells himself night after night with nothing—no messages whatsoever from his online friend. After a few days, Estonia decides to send another message.

CoolEST_guy: Hey, you okay? I hope you’re hanging in there :)

Estonia’s online friend immediately read the message. Still no response.

“Gosh, this is making me crazy,” Estonia says to himself another few days later, jumping up from the couch. “Maybe Latvia or Lithuania would know what to do.”

So, Estonia arranges a FaceTime call between himself and his Baltic friends. They laugh together and catch up for a few minutes before Estonia decides to ask.

“Hey guys, you know that online friend I was talking about?”

“Oh yeah, the one you say you don’t have a crush on but definitely do?” Lithuania teases, laughing. “Yeah. What’s up?”

Estonia rolls his eyes. “Shut up,” he huffs. “Anyway, I’m kinda worried. Ever since last week’s world meeting, he hasn’t been replying to any of my messages.”

“Maybe you finally scared him away!” Latvia chimes with a playful wink. “Nah, but really, just give it time. He might be dealing with some stuff in real life and can’t be online right now.”

“It said he read all my messages, though,” Estonia says, chewing at his lip. “Maybe you’re right. I know I can be overbearing sometimes.”

Lithuania now frowns in worry. “We’re just kidding, Estonia. Really, don’t think too much about it. I’m sure it’ll all blow over,” he assures with a gentle smile.

“All right, all right,” Estonia finally says, his features relaxing into a content smile. “So, are we gonna watch the movie or what?”

-

Meanwhile, Finland doesn’t know what to do.

He’s been thinking. Quite a lot, actually. He knows he likes Estonia. Yeah, he’s aware of that much. Somehow, though, he’d feel guilty if he were to reply to Estonia.

“I can’t lead him on any more than I already did,” Finland says while on a FaceTime call with the rest of the Nordics. “Do you guys think it’d be best if I just… don’t reply?”

Iceland, one of the more normal ones out of the group, chimes in with his opinion. “Yeah, Fin. I think you’ve handled things pretty well. I think what you really need to do is _talk to Estonia_ , because nothing good is gonna come out of you ignoring him.”

“That makes sense,” Sweden adds.

Finland sighs, putting a hand to his forehead. “Ugh, what a mess. And now I’m mad at myself for leaving before I could explain myself. After he brought all those sweets for me, too! I’m an idiot, aren’t I? Getting into this mess after he was so nice to me, I mean. I just think that sometimes I don’t deserve—“

“Hey, _hey_ ,” Norway interrupts, although quietly. “Stop beating yourself up over it. You’ll be fine.”

Finland sighs once more and says, “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Sorry for dragging you guys into this. I’ll see what I can do.”

He hangs up and flops backwards onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling for a few long seconds. He decides he’ll do something, but he’s yet to decide what, exactly. Perhaps he’d find out at the next world meeting, which is subsequently scheduled for the next morning.

-

Once Finland arrives at the meeting, he immediately goes to talk with his Nordic friends once more. He’s more nervous to talk to Estonia now. Finland has pretty much accepted that he doesn’t know what to do with his feelings.

“Look,” Iceland is saying to Finland. “Estonia just got here. Go talk to him!” He shoves lightly at Finland’s shoulder, but Finland doesn’t budge.

“I can’t do it,” Finland whispers, hiding his beet-red face. “Not today, anyway.”

Iceland sighs and says, “Well, don’t blame me if things go wrong.”

“How much more wrong can things get?” Finland snaps. He looks over at Estonia, and their gazes meet. Finland immediately looks away and hurries back to the rest of the Nordics, who are all gathered in a small group.

Meanwhile, Estonia is just getting more and more confused. He looks back at Finland, who seems to be ignoring him. Estonia decides not to pry.

After the meeting, Estonia decides to get his mind off everything by gaming for a bit. He pauses and debates on whether to ask his online friend, but soon remembers that his online friend somewhat disappeared off the face of the earth. Estonia decides to send a message regardless.

CoolEST_guy: Heya, it’s been a while! I’m gonna play some Minecraft if you’re interested in joining :D

Then Estonia notices something. His friend is online _and _currently playing Minecraft.__

__Could Estonia’s friend be deliberately ignoring him?_ _

__Estonia quickly shakes his head. Even if his friend is doing that, he must have his reasons. Estonia goes back to playing on his survival world, which, he realises with a feeling of wistfulness, was the world he shared with his online friend. Estonia sighs, looking over the structures his friend had built, and he tells himself once again that things will blow over soon._ _

__However, the thought keeps nagging at Estonia. After all, he leads a fairly lonely life, and the absence of one online friend seems like quite a lot to him._ _

__The next day, Estonia sets up a FaceTime call with his Baltic friends yet again. He feels bad to be whining to his friends about this, but at the same time, Estonia can’t think of anything else to do._ _

__“Hey! What’s up?” Lithuania greets with a smile. “Feliks is over tonight, but I figured this is important, so here I am. And here he is.”_ _

__Poland leans into the frame, throwing up a peace sign at the camera._ _

__“Oh!” Estonia is pleasantly surprised by this. “Actually, Poland, maybe you could help me with my… dilemma… of sorts?”“Is this about that online friend of yours again?” Latvia asks, yawning. “Has he still not replied?”_ _

__Estonia puts a hand to his face, breathes a heavy sigh, and says, “No, he hasn’t. Isn’t that weird? And you know what’s even weirder? Finland’s been ignoring me too. We didn’t even talk at the last world meeting.”_ _

__Lithuania whispers to Poland for a few minutes, most likely filling him in on the situation. Poland nods after a while, and immediately asks, “I know the chances are low, but do you think Finland has been your online friend this whole time?”_ _

__It’s silent in the FaceTime call for a very, very long moment. Poland and Lithuania glance at each other worriedly. Poland quickly says, “I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have said th—“ He’s subsequently cut off by Estonia’s whisper, though it’s so loud in the silent chatroom._ _

__“Oh my god.”_ _

__More silence._ _

__“Oh my god, what if he is?” Estonia’s panicking now; he gets out his phone and scrolls frantically through the messages._ _

__Latvia chuckles nervously and asks, “If he is, what are you even gonna say to him? Oh god, please don’t do it online, just _please_ —“_ _

__“Yeah, no, I’m talking to him about this.” Estonia stares incredulously at his phone while everything lines up in his head. “Goddamn it, when’s the next meeting?”_ _

__“There’s a Nordic meeting on Friday, I think,” Lithuania puts in helpfully. “Maybe you could talk to him there? You usually go to them anyway, right?”_ _

__Estonia heaves another sigh. “What a mess,” he croaks. “But thanks, Poland. I doubt I would’ve figured it out without your help.”_ _

__“Aw, no problem!” Poland grins before coming to rest comfortably on Lithuania’s shoulder. “Best of luck, dude.”_ _

__“Yeah,” Lithuania agrees, pressing a kiss to the side of Poland’s head. “And hey, if it all works out, we gotta go on a double date sometime!”_ _

__Estonia snickers, playfully rolling his eyes at his friends’ display of affection. “Ugh, gross. I’ll have to think about it.”_ _

__-_ _

__Friday comes before Estonia knows it._ _

__He’s spent the past few days in a strange state where he _knows_ he’s going to have to talk to Finland, but can’t accept it for some reason. What is he even going to say to Finland?_ _

__On the morning of the meeting, Estonia makes the painful decision to not bring a big bag of sweets for Finland this time. That can wait, Estonia decides, and now is definitely not the time for little gifts._ _

__Estonia fiddles nervously on his entire journey to the meeting. He’s getting more and more anxious about this. Somehow, this whole ordeal has caused him to have even more of a crush on Finland, which then has caused him to be even more nervous to talk to Finland—yeah. It’s all a mess. Estonia hopes that he can work things out today._ _

__It turns out, once Estonia arrives at the meeting, that things are exactly the same as last time. Finland does not make a move to talk to him, but instead shoots darting glances towards where Estonia is standing with his back to the wall, pretending to scroll on his phone._ _

__During the meeting, Estonia has to psych himself up to confront Finland. He tells himself that this is the only way to save his friendship with Finland, but it doesn’t settle his anxieties one bit. Once the meeting ends, he sighs, stands up from his chair in one swift movement, and mutters to himself, “Come on, Estonia. You can do this.”_ _

__By the time Estonia feels ready, Finland is already hurrying out the door. Estonia runs to catch up with him, calling, “Fin! Fin, wait up!”Finland slows down and just begins to turn around when Estonia stops, catching his breath for a moment before saying, “Fin, oh man, it feels like I haven’t seen you in weeks! How’ve you been?”_ _

__Finland meets Estonia’s gaze, offers a polite smile, and says, “I’ve been good. I gotta hurry, though, I have to… uh. Cook something. Yeah.”_ _

__He turns to leave again, but Estonia catches Finland’s elbow. “Can’t we talk for a minute?” Estonia begs. “Your cooking can wait, right?”_ _

__Finland wrenches his elbow free and says, “Okay. I guess it can.”_ _

__Estonia breathes a silent sigh of relief. “Well, I’m not exactly sure how to ask this, but can I see your phone for a quick sec? I have a sneaking suspicion about something, and I want to see if it’s true.”_ _

__“What?” Finland’s hand defensively moves towards his pocket. “No! What’s your suspicion, then?”_ _

__Estonia sighs, casting his gaze towards the floor. “Don’t, like, judge me when I say this, but I think you’re maybe my online friend that I’ve been talking to this whole time.” Estonia squeezes his eyes shut, preparing for the worst of reactions, but nothing happens. It’s just silent._ _

__Finland doesn’t know what to say. He stares at Estonia, his heart racing a million beats per second, but he can’t move. It’s not shocking for him, per se, since he already knew, but how did _Estonia_ find out? This whole thing was supposed to be a secret!_ _

__“How’d you know?” Finland asks in a soft tone as soon as he’s able to articulate words properly._ _

__“Am I right?” Estonia asks, looking back up to meet Finland’s gaze once again._ _

__“Well, I mean…” Finland looks down at his feet, “how am I supposed to deny it if you’ve found it out anyway?”_ _

__Estonia is also silent as he processes that information. The cogs finally turn in Estonia’s head, and he realises something very important. “Oh, so… heh, you saw me talking about the person I like?”_ _

__Finland finally smiles a tiny bit, a soft flush of pink coming to settle over his cheeks. “I did. I think your description sounded pretty similar to me.”_ _

__“Wait, so—“ Estonia sighs, finally letting out a chuckle. “You’re the one I’ve been playing Minecraft and all that with? This whole time?”“I guess I am. I saw my username on your phone when you showed it to me, so I’m assuming it was me,” Finland answers._ _

__Estonia smiles a little too, but he then realises the _extent_ of private information he accidentally shared with Finland. “Ah. Shit. Well. I guess it’s all in the open now.” He sighs, blushing profusely and refusing to meet Finland’s gaze._ _

__Finland nods in response._ _

__A few seconds of silence pass before Finland gasps, “Oh! Oh, _that_!” He chuckles nervously and asks in a softer tone, “Do you still feel that way?”_ _

__“Would you keep avoiding me if I said yes?”_ _

__Finland simply stares at Estonia. “You think I was avoiding you because I don’t like you back?”_ _

__He receives only silence in response._ _

__“I was only avoiding you because I didn’t know what to do with my own feelings,” Finland confesses, “and I still don’t. I’m confused.”_ _

__“How about we go for coffee tomorrow?” Estonia suggests. “You still owe me from last time, so…”_ _

__Finland grins and says, “Oh, you’re right! Fine, then. It’s a date.”_ _


	3. Chapter 3

The weather outside is rather unforgiving on Saturday morning. It’s overcast, the scent of rain lingers on the grass, and the wind brings sharp gusts of freezing air to sting Estonia’s cheeks on his way to the coffee shop. He pulls his scarf a little higher up, lengthening his stride to get to his destination faster. He has a big bag of sweets in hand this time, his usual gift for Finland. Estonia hopes that he’ll be able to do this for the rest of eternity.

Finland is already seated at a table when Estonia arrives. It’s a rather secluded table in the corner of the coffee shop, an electric fireplace heating the air near it. The entire coffee shop has a cozy, autumnal ambiance, which is fitting for the dreary weather outside. He stands up as soon as he sees Estonia, grinning shyly and waving.

“Hi, Fin,” Estonia greets, passing the bag to Finland. “Here, I brought you more sweets. The weather sucks, doesn’t it?”

“ _More_ sweets? Oh, thank you, thank you!” Finland beams with pure happiness upon taking the bag. “I think you’re gonna have to help me finish all these, though.”

Estonia removes his scarf and jacket before sitting across from Finland at the table. “Mm, sure thing.” His heart flutters as he sees Finland’s smiling face, basking in the sight that he so dearly missed.

“So,” Finland begins, placing the bag beside him on the floor as he takes a seat, “I was thinking. A lot, actually.”

“Me, too,” Estonia agrees with a nervous laugh.

“Well, if I’m being honest,” Finland says, looking down as he fiddles with his fingers, “I return your feelings, Estonia. I really do. I never really considered us to be _friends_ —well, I mean, I do, kind of. I’ve always thought that what we have is more than friendship, you know? Oh man, that sounds so sappy—but it’s true! I mean, if we started dating, not much would change, right?”

Estonia listens intently to every word, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He clears his throat, trying to calm his racing heart, before he says, “Yeah, I think so. I have to agree with all that—I guess I’ve always thought of you as more than a friend, too, and that wouldn’t change if we were to, you know—“He’s subsequently cut off by the waitress coming to take their orders. Finland orders a caramel cappuccino while Estonia orders a modest latte.

“So, what else have you been doing lately?” Finland asks, effectively changing the subject. “I saw you on Minecraft quite a lot… uh… sorry I didn’t join.” Finland scratches the back of his head with a guilty look on his face.

Estonia laughs, smiling genuinely at Finland. See, _this_ is the kind of stuff Estonia missed. Hanging out with Finland, being able to see Finland’s bright smile and cute little dimples—that’s what Estonia appreciates.

After they receive their coffee, Finland and Estonia talk and talk—about everything, really; they’re each other’s confidant, and that hasn’t changed since they met.

Once Estonia finishes his coffee, he checks his watch and realises he’s almost out of time! “Oh my gosh, it’s already noon? Fin, I’m so sorry, I have to go right away.”

“Oh! Okay,” Finland replies, smiling at Estonia. “This was lovely. We have to do this again sometime.”

Estonia grins back and waves to Finland on his way out of the coffee shop. He emerges out onto the street, shocked by the dry chill of the wind. Before Estonia could head back in the direction he came, the door to the coffee shop swings open and Finland steps out, clutching Estonia’s scarf in one hand.

“You forgot your scarf,” Finland breathes, letting the coffee shop door close behind him.

“Oh,” Estonia replies, barely audible over the whistling wind, “thank you.”

Finland does something unexpected, however—he looks down at the pavement, visibly nervous, before he asks, “Can I kiss you?”

Estonia is taken aback. He can only nod.

Finland places his hands on Estonia’s chest and raises up on his toes to kiss Estonia. It’s not overly long—a few seconds at most—but it has both Finland and Estonia’s hearts racing. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, Finland breaks the kiss and sets the scarf around Estonia’s shoulders, pulling it up over the lower half of Estonia’s face. He grins shyly at Estonia before heading back into the warmth of the coffee shop.

Estonia stands on the street, shocked. Shortly, he regains his composure and heads off in the direction from which he came, still feeling the warmth of Finland on his lips.

-

[Server: This is the beginning of a group chat with CoolEST_guy, dolPHIN69, SirPolska, and lietlaughlove.]

SirPolska: so i heard the news!! i guess my advice worked out well?

CoolEST_guy: Har har, I guess it did

SirPolska: well i’m very proud

lietlaughlove: Same!! Y’all… are so cute together (^^)

dolPHIN69: why thank u

lietlaughlove: So are you guys up for the double date or?

CoolEST_guy: Maybe

SirPolska: how about the ice skating rink at liet’s place? this wednesday?

dolPHIN69: sounds good to me

[Server: CoolEST_guy and 2 others reacted with :heart:]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for making it this far! I appreciate it! If you want, you can follow me on Tumblr @lietprotectionsquad where I post Hetalia incorrect quotes! :)


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